insurance companies :-(

[Bethsmummy]

Sorry i have just come on for a moan my dotor signed me off work so i phoned my insurance company to get help with my morgage but they say because i have not been sectioned i can't claim on it i am so pissed off. I get incapacity benefit but i can't claim on insurance it seems so silly. I think pni needs to be more recognised that it is now.

[Bethsmummy]

ooops i meant doctor

[Mum2Jack]

Hi

Do you still get Statutory Sick Pay from your employer? Its about £65 a week. You may be able to claim housing benefit to meet your mortgage while you are off sick. You can get claim forms on line from the Benefits Agency I think. I think thats your only plan of action.

Insurance policies eh? They never tell you the small print ie what you cant claim for - grrrr

Jiggles

[Bethsmummy]

no iget incapacity benefit cos my work dont pay me anymore and i can't get council benefit beause it is a morgage and i have a working partner.

[Veritee]

Hi bethsmummy
I am so sorry you have had this – it is bad enough to be ill without an insurance company trying to get out of it’s commitment – and this is what they are trying to do!

I know about benefits - but not insurance. There is a woman who comes on here now and then who is a legal advisor, but she never became a member - I hope she reads your thread and can help.

However I just can not see that this can be right? I guess you are talking about mortgage payment protection, and I thought for this you had to be signed off as too sick to work - and having to be sectioned I feel is too far.

It is not just PNI we are talking about her as according to this you would not be eligible if you were signed off work because you suffered schizophrenia and were having a psychotic episode but were voluntarily being treated at home by your GP and not sectioned ( you only get sectioned for any mental illness anyway if you refuse voluntary treatment and you behaviour makes you a danger to yourself or others ).

I think this is over the top.

I may not have knowledge about payment protection specifically but I do know from my own dealings with insurance that they will try it on ( ie try to interpret the small print in such a way as to not pay out - have you studied the small print ) in the first instance but if you make an appeal or complaint - you will then often get your insurance paid.

This process can be quite upsetting so I would recommend you consult either a citizens advice worker or a solicitor to help you.

If you are on benefit you should be able to get legal aid but if not many solicitors will see you free or for a low fixed fee to initially to see if you have a case, it would be worth having an initial consultation with a solicitor to find out.

I also think there is an insurance watchdog or ombudsman you can consult, I will try to find out.

I really think you can not leave this here as this is outrageous, if you are too ill to work for over a month or so - then in my inexpert opinion they should pay up!

All the best

Veritee

[lisa1234]

I'm sorry to hear about your trouble with the insurance company. They're a nightmare aren't they. I wasn't even accepted by my company for mortgage payment protection because of my history of mental illness (1 episode of depression) and my IBS (never a day off work with this).

Have you spoken to your mortgage company, you never know they may be understanding & be able to organise some kind of break or something. It's worth a shot.

Take care & good luck. I hope you get something sorted.

[jezabel]

We tried to claim on ours when Andrew lost his job and the managed to weddle out of paying.
We don't bother with it anymore as we thought we'd be secure but it wasn't worth the paper it's written on....
Sorry I don't have anything useful to say....

[wendabell]

dont know what else to say im so sorry your having it so bad.i agree this illness should be more recognised

[Vikki]

I known this was posted a long time ago, but I am an insurance assessor, yes I know Boo hiss!!

Does it state in your policy wording that you have to be sectioned to claim?

I hate it when companies wriggle out of paying, if it doesnt say in you wording, take it up with them again, if that doesn't work, take them to the IOB (Insurance Obudsman Bureau). If you still dont get any joy, write to Watchdog, I know they do pieces on this all the time, and this quite often kicks them in to touch!!

Let me know if I can help in any way.

Vikki

[supernature]

As a matter of fact you can claim for your mortgage from the Benefits Agency NOT the council. I think you have to be claiming for four weeks before they will dole it out, NO ONE told me. I've just lost my house because of that, go back to B.A. again and speak to them and talk to the mortage lender, because if anyone would know they would, or call the citizen's advice bureau, no scrub that they never answer the phone, just go to CAB and speak to someone, they can't ignore you in person.
Hope that helps.

Jude

[rach]

a friend of mine managed to claim her mortage through the insurance when she was on the sick for pni, she was with cheltnham and glouster. through lyodds tsb